The present invention relates to evaluation of the aortic valve using medical images, and more particularly, to modeling and quantitative evaluation of the aortic valve in 4D CT volume sequences.
Valvular heart disease (VHD) is a cardiac disorder that affects a large number of patients and often requires elaborate diagnostic procedures, intervention, and long-term management. Causes of VHD include congenital heart defects, rheumatic fever, infection, and coronary artery disease. Aortic valve disease represents the most common valvular disease in developed countries, and has the second highest incidence among congenital valve defects. Although aortic root preserving surgery can be used, and minimally evasive procedures are emerging, the management of patients with VHD remains challenging.
Most data on geometry and dynamics of the aortic valve has been obtained by experimental studies on explanted values, or using animal models. Standard dimensions of the aortic root can be found in the literature, although it is recognized that there may be considerable geometric variations. Conventional quantitative and visual methods for evaluating the function of the aortic valve are limited to 2D images, and can be affected significantly by measurement inaccuracies. Conventional valve models are used either for homodynamic studies, or for analysis of various prosthetic valves. Although some conventional models are generated from volumetric data, these models are generic and cannot be applied to the evaluation of individual patients. Accordingly, an aortic valve model that can be used for accurate quantitative and visual evaluation of and individual patient's aortic valve is desirable.